


Free World

by CNN_Junkie



Category: One Direction (Band), Scandal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Crimes & Criminals, F/F, Family Drama, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Infidelity, Lawyers, M/M, Murder, Politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2014-09-11
Packaged: 2018-02-17 00:44:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2290766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CNN_Junkie/pseuds/CNN_Junkie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Free World" is a drama revolving around the life and work of a professional crisis manager and his dysfunctional staff. A former media relations consultant to the Prime Minister, Zayn Malik dedicates his life to protecting and defending the public images of our nation's elite. After leaving 10 Downing Street, the power consultant opened his own firm, hoping to start a new chapter - both professionally and personally - but he can't seem to completely cut ties with his past.</p><div class="center">
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            </blockquote>





	Free World

If there was one thing Liam Payne hated more than prejudice it was being late.  And today, he was running exceptionally late.  He had been going over case files with his father past regular business hours; Liam had completely forgotten he agreed to meet Harry Styles for drinks at a little pub around the corner from his law firm.  
  
Sprinting all the way from his office to the bar, Liam skidded to a stop when he spotted Harry sitting at a high-top table nursing a beer.  
  
“Hazza!” Liam called out to his secondary school friend.  
  
“Leemo!”  Harry said standing and pulling the shorter man in for a hug.  
  
Liam stepped back, looking Harry over.  In the fifteen years since they’d graduated secondary school, Harry had put dance on the back burner and become one of the country’s most sought after criminal litigators.  
  
“I didn’t even realize you were in London, Harry.  To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”  Liam asked with a smile.  
  
“What, I can call up an old friend and ask him for a drink?” Harry shot him a playful smile.  
  
Liam put his hands up in mock defeat.  “Ok, ok, I’ll give you that one.  But look I really can’t stay, I wanted to come by and ask for a rain check.  I’m in the middle of a big case and…”  
  
“What can I get you to drink?” Harry enquired as if he hadn’t Liam speak at all.  
  
“Harry, I _really_ can’t stay, man.  I’ve got –“  
  
“What can I get you to drink?” Harry asked evenly.  
  
Liam was getting frustrated at Harry’s disregard.  At the very least, he thought Harry of all people would understand.  
  
“Are you even listening to me?” Liam said annoyance clear as a bell in his voice.  “I’ve got to go.  I would really like to hang out sometime, if you’re going to be in town for a while.”  
  
Harry sighed and took a drink of his beer.  “Liam, I didn’t ask you here to talk shop or catch up or anything.  This is an interview.”  
  
Liam furrowed his brow in confusion.  “An interview?  Harry what are you talking about?  I didn’t apply at your firm –“  
  
“Yes you did.”  Harry said without a trace of humor in his voice.  “You know how I know?  Because I have your resume, university transcripts, driving record, background check, and the results of your last four drug tests on my IPad.  I know more about your professional life than, probably, you do.”  
  
“Seriously, I have no idea what you’re even talking about.  I haven’t applied for a job since university.  I’m happy working at my father’s fir—”  
  
“Ask me who I work for, Liam.”  
  
“What? Why? Harry, are you drunk?”  
  
“I can see it all over your face.  Ask me who I work for.”  
  
“Fine, Harry.  Who do you work for?”  
  
“Zayn Malik.”  
  
The name made Liam’s heart stop, it made everything in the room blur, and it made his ears ring.  Harry worked for Zayn.  _His_ Zayn.  
  
 _No,_ Liam scolded himself.  _He hasn’t been your Zayn since first year of university._ Liam’s mind immediately flashed back six years, to what was and to this day still is the worst day of his life.  
  
 ** _It was Valentine’s Day, Liam stood on the steps that led into Zayn’s dorm with an armful of red roses and a small velvet box tucked away safely in his coat pocket.  They had managed to make it through some tough times in their relationship, distance being the greatest what with Liam at Cambridge and Zayn at Oxford.  Not to mention being in law school meant they had practically no spare time.  
  
Today would be different.  Liam had doubled up on his reading and skipped out early on a mock trial to surprise Zayn.  
  
Liam’s face lit up when he saw Zayn walking towards him.  His smile dropped, however, the closer Zayn got and he could see the details of his boyfriend’s face.  The taller man’s eyes were red and puffy.  His normally porcelain skin was almost a ghostly shade and the look of absolute panic on his face when he saw Liam was enough to let the curly-haired man know something was definitely wrong.  
  
Dropping the roses to the ground, Liam ran to his boyfriend and enveloped him into a tight hug.  A sob erupted from Zayn’s throat and he cried onto Liam’s shoulder.  
  
“I’m here, baby.” Liam whispered, massaging Zayn’s neck.  “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.”  
  
Zayn took a couple of deep breaths and then he took a step back from his boyfriend.  
  
“No, we won’t,” Zayn said raggedly.  Tears were already reforming in his eyes as he continued to speak.  “I… I can’t do this anymore.”  
  
Liam felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach.  “Wha—what?” he croaked.  
  
“We haven’t been us,” Zayn said motioning between the two of them as tears streamed down his face. “For a very long time.  We’re growing apart Liam and it’s not fair to either of us to stay together just because it’s comfortable.  I won’t do that to you.”  
  
“Zayn, please,” Liam sobbed.  “Please, baby, please don’t do this.”  
  
Zayn stepped forward to hug Liam, but the hazel-eyed man put up his hand to stop him.  “Don’t.  Just don’t touch me.  This is what you wanted and now you’ve gotten it.”  
  
Liam reached into his pocket and pulled out the velvet box.  He handed it to Zayn.  “I had this custom made for you, so it’s not going to be of much use to anyone else.  But you should know, you’re the love of my life and I’ll never love anyone but you.  So, I hope you’re happy.  Have a nice life, Zayn.”  
  
As Liam walked away from the man who was now his ex-boyfriend, he heard Zayn let out an almost animal like scream.  It took everything in Liam’s power not to turn around and go back to him, but Zayn had made it very clear what he wanted and Liam would always give Zayn exactly what he wanted._**  
  
“You know how I know you want this job, Liam?” Harry’s voice pulled Liam out of his memories.  Liam looked at him expectantly, hoping that he hadn’t started crying.  
  
“When I said his name,” Harry explained.  “You quit breathing.  It’s a tell.  _Your_ tell, has been since secondary school.  But, I should probably let you know that this isn’t even _really_ an interview.  Zayn told me to offer you the job.  I’m just having a bit of fun at your expense.”  
  
“I – I didn’t know Zayn started his own law firm,” was all Liam to offer in response.  He knew that with Yaser’s foray into politics that Zayn had gone to law school so he could make a difference in the world that he couldn’t make with theater.  
  
“It’s not a law firm, get that straight right now or Zayn will snap your head off.” Harry said with a small smile.  “We’re fixers.  We fix things for the crème de la crème of London.  We make things go away.  We’re gladiators in suits.  Because that's what you are when you work for Zayn. You're a gladiator in a suit.  So, you in?”  
  
“I wanna be a gladiator in a suit!”  
  
Harry’s smile grew and he wrapped an arm around Liam’s shoulder and led him out of the bar.  
  
~*~  
  
To say that Liam was nervous would be an understatement.  As he and Harry rode the elevator up to ZJM  & Associates’ offices, Liam felt wave after wave of nerves, nausea, and fear wash over him with each ding of the elevator as each floor passed.  
  
“Top floor office, not surprising,” Liam muttered nodding towards the lit up button.  
  
“You know, Zayn, gotta have the best of everything,” Harry said with a slight chuckle.  
  
“It’s really late, Harry, he’s probably not even going to be here,” Liam said, nervousness returning.  
  
“Oh, he’ll be here,” the man said with a wicked smile.  
  
Liam’s hand shot out and pressed the elevator’s emergency stop button.  Harry look at him worriedly.  
  
“You ok?”  Harry said placing a hand on Liam’s shoulder.  
  
“I – I just need to know a few things before we go up there,” Liam said as he started pacing the elevator.  
  
“Ok, shoot.”  
  
“First,” Liam said as he stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts.  “How different is he now, than when I knew him?”  
  
Harry laughed.  “Oh, he’s still very much the same Zayn.  You’re not going to meet some stranger up there.  He’s a little more hardcore than he was in secondary school, but given the nature of _our_ business you’ll understand.  What else?”  
  
Liam started pacing again.  “Why me?  Why now?  There are a thousand other lawyers in this town, most far better than I am.  Why didn’t he go after one of them?”  
  
“That’s a fair question.  I don’t know Zayn’s exact reasoning, you’ll have to ask him that, but I do know that he likes the idea of having people around that he can trust.  He’s got me, Louis’ our tech guy, and Niall’s an investigator.  I know you may not think so, but he _does_ trust you implicitly otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”  
  
“Ok, that makes sense,” Liam said as he began to pace more frantically.  “Last thing, and this is a big one, is he seeing someone?  Does he work here?  If so, I can’t do this.  There’s no way I could deal with seeing that on a daily basis.”  
  
Harry grabbed Liam by both shoulders, forcing the shorter man to look at him.  “Liam, Zayn hasn’t dated anyone since you.  I know this for a fact.  You’re stressing yourself out over nothing.”  
  
Harry released Liam’s shoulders and pushed the emergency stop button causing the elevator to begin moving again.  
  
When the elevator dinged one final time, Liam looked up in confusion.  “We can’t be there already.  There are three more floors.”  
  
Harry exited the elevator smiling, and said, “Biggest and best for Zayn Malik.  Welcome to ZJM and Associates.”  
  
The office was very much Zayn’s aesthetic.  It was modern yet timeless and still had a homey, lived in feel to it.  
  
Liam took a couple of steps out of the elevator to join Harry in the lobby when his heart stopped beating for the second time that day.  There, through the glass panels of what Liam assumed was a conference room, stood Zayn Malik still as breath-taking as ever.  
  
Zayn was walking around the table talking animatedly to Louis, and Niall, and a man that Liam didn’t recognize.  Zayn froze when he saw Liam through the glass and every person at the table turned their heads in his and Harry’s direction.  They were all instantly smiling.  
  
Louis walked out of the conference room followed closely by Niall.  Over their shoulders Liam could see, and hear, Zayn tell the mystery man: “You stay in this conference room.  You do not move, you do not make any phone calls, not to work, not to the press, not to friends.  You break those rules and all bets are off.  Got it?”  
  
The man nodded his head and Zayn followed the other three out of the conference room.  
  
After pleasantries were exchanged between Liam, Louis, and Niall, the employees of ZJM  & Associates parted to allow Zayn to step forward.  
  
“Hello Liam,” Zayn said with a warm smile, but kept a good distance between them.  
  
Liam flushed at Zayn’s smile.  He had always thought about what he would say in this moment, he might scream, he might punch Zayn in the mouth, he might runaway.   He didn’t do any of those things.  Liam just opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to his head.  
  
“I so admire your work in the Parliament. It's an honor to work for your law firm.” Liam said mentally kicking himself for sounding like such an idiot.  
  
“We're not a law firm,” Zayn said quickly. “We're lawyers but this is _not_ a law firm.”  
  
“Law firms are for pansies.” Niall added.  
  
“We solve problems.” Zayn said rolling his eyes at Niall’s comment.  
  
“Manage crises, save reputations.” Louis also added.  
  
“Oh, well… Uh… It's still an honor.” Liam said as he took a sudden interest in a spot on the poured concrete floors.  
  
A high pitched beeping rang out through the lobby pulling everyone’s focus.  Louis went over to a fax machine and retrieved an incoming fax.  He looked over it, brows furrowing in concern.  
  
“You might wanna take a look at this, boss,” Louis said handing the fax to Zayn.  
  
Zayn’s eyes scanned over the paper before he turned on his heel and marched into the conference right up to the stranger who still remained seated inside.  
  
“You wanna tell me what the fuck this is?” Zayn said slamming the fax down on to the table causing the man to flinch.  “I told you, Parker, you lie to me and I wash my hands of you.”  
  
Liam looked to Harry mouthing the name Zayn just said.  
  
“Tom’s dad,” Harry whispered.  “Turns out, ol’ Tommy boy’s got a choking fetish.  Supposedly went a little too far this time, so his Dad came to us for help.”  
  
Liam let out a low whistle as he returned his attention to the scene in the conference room.  
  
“Get out of my office,” Zayn said to Mr. Parker.  “You will be billed for all services rendered up until this point.  I look forward to not ever seeing you or your son again.”  
  
The man stood, briskly walked out of the conference room, and into the elevators, disappearing behind the polished chrome doors.  
  
Zayn sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  Louis moved forward to put his hand on Zayn’s shoulder, but Zayn’s hand shot up to stop him.  That’s when Liam saw it.  
  
Zayn was wearing the ring Liam had given him on the last day they had spoken to each other.  Liam’s breathing hitched.  He stepped forward and spoke before his brain had time to catch up to the situation.  
  
“Zayn,” he said in a tone of voice he hadn’t used for years.  “Judge’s chambers?”  
  
It was an old joke between the two of them from back when they first started law school.  If they ever needed to have a serious conversation one of them would say ‘Judge’s chambers’ and the other would know what they meant.  Liam knew Zayn wouldn’t be able to resist.  Not now that he knew Zayn still had and was _wearing_ that ring.  
  
“Uh, yeah,” Zayn said managing something of a smile.  “You guys go home for the night; I’ll see you all in the morning.”  
  
Zayn ushered Liam upstairs to his office once everyone else had left the building.  Zayn sat down a plush black leather sofa, motioning for Liam to join him.  
  
“So,” Zayn said after a few moments of awkward silence.  “How have you been?”  
  
Liam wasn’t really in the mood for small talk he cut right to the quick.  “How long have you been wearing the ring?”  
  
Zayn looked a little startled at Liam’s directness.  “Since that day.  You have to understand, Liam, I _never_ wanted to breakup with you.”  
  
Liam laughed bitterly.  “Then why did you?  You’ve worn the ring I planned to propose to you with for six years and you never _once_ thought about calling me.”  
  
“I know you’re upset with me,” Zayn said trying to mask the pain in his voice.  “I’ve never forgiven myself for being bullied into letting you go, but it was for the best.”  
  
“You thought breaking my heart was for the best?”  Liam’s voice was starting to rise.  “You _ruined_ me Zayn!”  
  
Zayn moved forward and placed both hands on either side of Liam’s face.  Liam jerked back like he had been burned.   
  
“Don’t you fucking touch me, Zayn Malik.  You don’t get to stomp on my heart and then just expect to come running back to you like some lovesick puppy!”  
  
“I was trying to protect you, ok?”  Zayn shouted.  
  
“From what, Zayn!  From you?”  Liam screamed.  “I loved you.  You were _everything_ to me.  You were the last person I ever thought would hurt me like you did.”  
  
“Liam, I –“  
  
“Zayn!  Liam!”  Harry came bounding into the office interrupting the fight.  “We’ve got incoming!”  
  
Zayn took a few calming breaths before turning to Harry.  “It’s after-hours, tell them to leave a message and we’ll deal with it in the morning.”  
  
“I would,” Harry said.  “But he’s here and you’re gonna want to take this one.”  
  
Zayn and Liam followed Harry ran down the stairs to the lobby, their conversation would have to continue another time.  
  
Once they had reached the lobby, Zayn’s knees buckled at the sight before him.  
  
Another ghost from their past, Perrie Edwards, was standing there covered in blood.  Zayn couldn’t make his tongue work.   Thankfully, despite their argument mere minutes ago, Liam hooked his hands under Zayn’s arms to keep him from collapsing.  
  
“Perrie,” Zayn said after staring for what felt hours.  “What happened?”  
  
Perrie blinked at him a few times almost as if she didn’t register the words that were coming out of Zayn’s mouth.  Tears started pouring out of Perrie’s eyes as she spoke.  
  
“Grimmy is dead,” Perrie sobbed.  
  
The group all exchanged wide-eyed glances.  
  
“Why are you covered in blood Perrie?” Harry asked carefully, “Did you –“  
  
“NO!  Absolutely not!  Grimmy was my best friend!”  
  
Harry backed away at the sudden outburst.  “Ok, we just needed to know.”  
  
By this time Zayn had managed to regain his composure.  “Alright people, we’re obviously taking this case.  Niall, go to Grimmy’s apartment take pictures, dig in to the police, and find out what you can.  Louis, take Perrie to the lounge, get her a clean shirt, and keep her there. Get her alibi; get all the details you can.  Liam, you and Harry sweep Grimmy’s phone records, e-mail, credit cards, bank accounts, all of it.”  
  
Zayn grabbed his coat from the coat rack and headed towards the elevators.  “Let’s move people, we’re firing on all cylinders.”   
  
~*~  
  
Zayn banged relentlessly on the townhouse door, alternating between that and ringing the doorbell until the front porch light came on.  He stepped back a bit as the front door swung open.  
  
“Give me seventy-two hours before you charge and arrest Perrie Edwards.”  Zayn said before the owner of the townhouse could speak.  
  
“Well, hello to you too, Malik.” Jade Thirlwall said voice thick with sleep.  “You do realize it’s two o’clock in the morning, right? Unless this isn’t strictly a business call.”  Jade’s mouth curled up at the corners.  
  
“Not on your life.  Now you heard me, seventy-two hours before you make a move on the Nick Grimshaw case.”  
  
“You don’t have the power of Parliament behind you anymore, Malik.  You can’t just come to my house in the middle of the night making demands,” Jade said frowning.  “You’re a private citizen now and you’re annoying.”  
  
“Oh, I see what this is about.  You’re hoping this will become a media shit storm.” Zayn took a defensive stance as he spoke.  “Miss Attorney arresting the face of [the](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Office_of_Small_and_Disadvantaged_Business_Utilization&action=edit&redlink=1) Public Work’s Loan Board.  You’re hoping to get a little praise from the High Court when you make a bid for Prime Minister of the Queen’s bench in two years.”  
  
“Are you threatening me?”  Jade scoffed.  
  
“Of course not, Jade,” Zayn said feigning innocence.  “Now, if you or your ‘posse’ makes a move towards Perrie, I will have every major news outlet on your front steps within the hour.  I’ll tell them how you’re turning a grieving wife and working-class hero into some sort of monster for your own political gain.  And just so we’re clear, _that_ is me threatening you.  So, seventy-two hours?”  
  
“Twelve.” Jade replied.  
  
“Forty-Eight.” Zayn countered.  
  
“Twenty-fo—“  
  
“Done!” Zayn said triumphantly as he started walking away.  “Pleasure doing business with you Ms. Thirlwall.”  
  
Jade shook her head and closed her front door as Zayn disappeared down the dark streets.  
  
~*~  
  
“We've been here all night. Don't you people ever sleep? Don’t you have lives outside of this place?”  Liam asked reaching for what was his tenth cup of coffee.  
  
“No,” Louis said.  “You marry the job.  If you’ve got somebody when you start, they have to understand.”  
  
“Oh,” Liam said.  
  
“Gladiator. In a suit.”  Louis said with a smile.  
  
“Team meeting!” Niall called from the stairs.  “Conference room in two!”  
  
Louis and Liam exited the elevator into the lobby just as Zayn came out of the other elevator, arms loaded down with cardboard carriers of coffee stacked on top of two boxes of doughnuts.  
  
They joined Niall and Harry in the conference room.  Zayn began to pass out coffees.  
  
“Triple espresso no cream for Louis, caramel macchiato for Harry, hot chocolate for Niall,” Zayn said as he passed out the cups.  “And a medium Earl Gray for Liam.”  
  
“You remember my order?”  Liam asked a little astonished.  
  
“Of course,” Zayn said wiggling his still adorned ring finger.  He ignored Liam’s rolling eyes and snorting.  “Ok, so status report.  Go!”  
  
“Grimmy was supposed to go to some gala, but he backed out last minute,” Harry spoke up first.  
  
“We need to find out why.  Add it to the list.”  Zayn said.  
  
“We might have the answer to that,” Liam said.  “We cracked Grimmy’s e-mail.  He’d been e-mailing back and forth with someone on an encrypted e-mail.  They were going to meet up.”  
  
“Encrypted?” Zayn asked looking at Louis.  
  
“The IP address pings all over the world, I’m running a trace on it to see if I can lock it down.” Louis replied.  
  
“Ok, so Grimmy was going to meet up with some mystery person.  Do we think he was having an affair?” Niall piped up.  
  
“No, definitely not.”  Harry said.  “Grimmy loved Perrie more than anything.  We _all_ know that.”  
  
Zayn’s phone buzzed in his pocket.  He retrieved it, reading the message as he continued to speak. “Louis work on that trace.  Liam, ask around to Grimmy’s friends find out if they know who this guy was.  Niall, you talk to Perrie again.  Make sure her alibi is water tight.  I don’t want anything slipping through the cracks.”  
  
His phone buzzed again.  He furrowed his brow as he read the message.  “I have to step out.  I’ll be back soon.  We’re on a time restraint, so let’s make things happen.”  
  
~*~  
  
Stepping onto the grass of the Trafalgar Square, Zayn quickly caught sight of the man who texted him.  Simon Cowell stood there in the cold January morning air, wearing his signature v-neck tee.  
  
“What?”  Zayn said as he approached the man.  
  
“He needs your help.” Simon said turning to him. “We have a crisis.”  
  
“You tell him, that I don’t work for him anymore,” Zayn said.  There was no malice in his voice.  “I’m not at his beck and call anymore.”  
  
“Let’s take a walk,” Simon said linking his arm with Zayn’s.  They began walking the grounds of the famous landmark.  “There’s a woman going around saying she slept with him.”  
  
“Did he?” Zayn asked.  
  
“Don’t be stupid,” Simon said.  “He’s not that kind of man.  You know that!  She’s lying.”  
  
“Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton; John Edwards and Rielle Hunter; Prince Charles and Camilla, don’t give me your sound byte.  Did he do it?”  Zayn said stopping their walk.  
  
“No,” Simon said.  
  
“I want a meeting.”  
  
“You know that’s impossible.  His schedule is very hectic these days.  Just make this go away.”  
  
“Again, I will remind you, I don’t work for him.  He’s the one that needs my help.”  
  
“And yet, you still came when I called.” Simon said with a smug grin.  “He’s a very busy man, Zayn, can’t you do him this one favor?”  
  
“I’ve done more for that man than you will ever know.  So you tell the Prime Minister that if he wants my help, he’ll agree to the meeting.”  
  
Zayn didn’t wait for a response before walking away.  
  
~*~  
  
“You’re going to Chequers Court?  Zayn, what about Perrie?  Remember? Time limit on proving her innocence?”  Harry said following Zayn around his office as Zayn gathered his things.  
  
“I’m not going to be gone that long.  The Prime Minister needs a favor and if I’m going to do it, I need to know he’s not lying.”  Zayn said as they walked down the stairs.  
  
“He’s trying to get you to come back to number ten.  He’s wooing you.”  
  
“He's not wooing me, Harold.  We're friendly now.”  
  
“You and I are friendly.  He's the leader of the queen’s empire.  God, your life makes me feel unsuccessful.”  
  
Zayn stopped in the stairwell and turned to face Harry.  “Where are we on the whole Perrie thing?”  
  
“Not bad, but not great,” Harry said with shrug.  “She said she stopped into a pub for a beer before she went to Grimmy’s apartment and found him.”  
  
“Ok, go to that bar.  Find someone, _anyone_ who saw her.  We’re going to prove that our friend didn’t kill her husband.”  
  
“I still think he’s wooing you,” Harry said with a mischievous grin.  
  
“Shut it, Styles.  I’ll be back soon.”  
  
~*~  
  
Zayn stood anxiously in the office of Chequers.  The entire place was filled with the buzzing of secret service, military security, and the Prime Minister’s staff.  
  
“Glad you could make it, Zayn,” Simon said as he stepped into the room.  “He’ll be with you shortly.”  
  
“Zayn Malik!”  a woman’s voice called from behind Simon.  They both turned to see the First Lady walking into the office.  
  
“How are you, sunshine?”  she said pulling Zayn into a hug.  “You look tired.  Are you getting enough sleep?”  
  
“Things are a little hectic at the office right now,” he said.  “I’ll be fine.”  
  
The First Lady patted Zayn’s cheek affectionately as the Prime Minister stepped into the office.  “You should come back to us.  We miss you around Downing Street.”  
  
Zayn smiled at her, but never responded.  
  
“Zayn, hey buddy, how’re you doing?”  He said stepping forward to pull Zayn in for a hug.  
  
“I’m doing great, Baba.”  Zayn said into his father’s shoulder.  “I’m doing great.”  
  
~*~  
  
After having lunch, at Trisha’s insistence, Zayn, Yaser, Simon, and a tag of secret service went out for a walk around the grounds of Camp David.  
  
“So what kind of crisis do we have on our hands?” Zayn asked.  
  
Simon stepped forward handing Zayn a folder.  “Her name is Marcella Guevara.  She’s a house keeper at the Downing Street.”  
  
“And for reasons that can’t just be obvious to me,” Zayn said looking through the contents of the folder.  “You can’t fire her.”  
  
“Right,” Simon confirmed.  “We just need you to squash this.  Make her dissolve into glitter, or whatever it is that you do.”  
  
Zayn turned to his father looking deep into his eyes.  “I need you tell me right now.  Is there any reason at all for me to believe that you’re not being completely honest with me?”  
  
Yaser looked at his son for a brief moment.  “Of course not, you know I love your mum.  I would never do this to her.  Never!”  
  
“Ok,” Zayn said after staring at Yaser for a few minutes longer.  “I’ll call you when it’s handled.”  
  
~*~  
  
Zayn strode quickly into the offices of ZJM  & Associates.  He had very little time until Jade’s deadline.  
  
“What do we got, guys?”  He said to the group who was gathered in the conference room.  
  
“No one at the pub remembers seeing her.”  Niall said.  “We showed her picture around to everybody.  She wasn’t there.”  
  
“God damn it, Perrie!” Zayn mumbled.  “Ok, Louis, see if we can get her on traffic cams or something that puts her in the area of that bar at the time of the murder.  Niall, go loot around in her apartment, find a receipt.  Harry, if Jade shows up with her goon squad hand Perrie over no questions, but go down to the station buy us as much time as possible to establish her alibi.  Liam, you’re with me.”  
  
Without waiting for confirmation on their orders, Zayn was marching out of the conference room towards the elevators leaving a dumbstruck Liam standing in his wake.  Liam blinked a few times looking at the spot Zayn was just standing in.  
  
“This is part where you move your ass, Payno!”  Niall called at him, pulling him out of his daze.  Liam sprinted out of the conference room towards the elevator Zayn was just stepping into.  
  
~*~  
  
It didn’t take Zayn and Liam long to locate Marcella Guevara.  
  
“Why are they always at the Tower?”  Zayn muttered to himself.  “Alright, Liam, here’s the deal.  When we approach her, you just stand there.  You do not say a word.  You want to see what we do, this is the not fun part of it.  Are we clear?”  
  
“Uh, yeah,” Liam said trying his hardest to match Zayn’s strides.  
  
The two men slowed their steps as they approached a woman sitting on a park bench with her dog.  
  
“Cute dog,” Zayn said as stepped closer to the Marcella.  
  
“Thanks,” she said with a smile.  
  
“Golden retriever?” Zayn asked from where he was now sitting next to the woman on the bench.  
  
 _When the hell did that happen?_ Liam thought to himself.  _Damn, he really is that good._  
  
Liam returned from his thoughts to hear Marcella telling Zayn some anecdote about her dog who was named Sully.  Liam could tell Zayn was about to go in for the kill, there was always a glimmer in Zayn’s eye right before he ripped a person to shreds.  Liam knew all too well to avoid Zayn when that glint appeared.  
  
“Look, Marcella,” Zayn said when the woman stopped speaking.  She looked shocked that Zayn knew her name since she hadn’t offered it during this entire conversation.  “There’s really two ways this can go.  The first is that you can quit your job.  Move to some quiet town, Cardiff or Bristol, perhaps.  Get a new job, find a dumb guy, marry him, and keep your mouth shut.”  
  
Zayn paused for a moment.  “Or you can continue to spread _lies_ about the Prime Minister and we’ll go to the press with every skeleton in your closet and you know they’ll have a field day with that.  We know about the credit card fraud, sixteen sexual partners in two years, that nasty case of gonorrhea you had in secondary school, stealing from previous employers.  I know all about it, Marcella.  You will be ruined, look what happened to Monica Lewinsky and she was telling the truth.”  
  
Marcella had started to cry at this onslaught of dirty little secrets that she was certain no one knew about.  “Why are you doing this?” She choked out.  “I’m a good person.”  
  
“No you’re not.  The Prime Minister is a good person.  Good people don’t tell lies about other good people.  If you keep talking, I will hand everything over to the BBC, you won’t be able to find another job _anywhere_ , your career in London is over.”  
  
Marcella was sobbing when Zayn had finished speaking.  “Who are you?” she managed to say.  
  
“Who I am is not important,” Zayn said pointedly.  “What’s important is that _you_ make the right decision.”  
  
With those words, he stood and walked away.  
  
Once they were out of earshot from Marcella, Zayn turned to Liam as they walked.  “If you’re ever subpoenaed you were walking by and heard that exchange.  You don’t know me outside of someone who you dated in secondary school.  If you’re not subpoenaed, that never happened.”  Zayn pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, hit a button, and waited for someone to answer.  
  
“It’s handled,” he said promptly ending the call.  
  
~*~  
  
Zayn and Liam entered the building just as Jade, accompanied by several police officers, did.  
  
“I believe you have something that belongs to me, Malik.”  Jade said with a self-satisfied grin.  “Why hello, Liam.”  
  
“Can it, Thirlwall,” Zayn said looking at his watch.  “I still have four minutes.  You and the village people can wait right here.”  
  
Zayn and Liam walked through the office’s frosted glass doors, disappearing from Jade’s sight.  
  
On the other side of the glass, the two men walked into the conference room to see Harry, Louis, and Niall huddled around a laptop.  
  
“Please tell me we’ve got something substantial,” Zayn said with a sigh.  
  
“Oh, you’re definitely gonna wanna see this,” Louis said as he turned the laptop towards Zayn and hit play.  
  
“Oh my sweet dear mother of god,” Zayn gasped.  “And this clears Perrie of the murder?”  
  
“Time stamp coincides with T.O.D,” Niall answered.  “She’s in the clear.”  
  
“Liam –“ Zayn turned to where he thought Liam was standing only to find an empty space.  “Where did he go?”  
  
“I think he went upstairs to our office,” Harry said.  
  
“Alright, Malik, you’ve had your four minutes,” Jade said entering the room.  “Bring Edwards out so we can get this over with.”  
  
Zayn grinned at the woman.  “I think you might want to send the boys in black outside for a minute.  We have something to discuss.”  
  
Jade narrowed her eyes at Zayn before turning to the crew of police officers and telling them to wait outside.  
  
Once the officers were outside, Zayn motioned to a chair at the conference table.  Jade took a seat and Zayn slid the laptop in front of her.  
  
“So, Jade,” Zayn said leaning over Jade’s shoulder to play the video.  “You wanna explain to me why you were about to arrest a woman that you were making out with that very same night?”  
  
“Fuck,” Jade spat.  “I knew I shouldn’t have gone to that bar.”  
  
“Got a little drunk, did we?”  Zayn said with a slight laugh.  “I guess that means you’ll be dropping the charges then?  Or do I need to leak this to the press?”  
  
“Do I have a choice?”  
  
“You never do, darling, you never do!”  
  
~*~  
  
Zayn and Harry met Perrie on the steps outside the police precinct.  They exchange smiles, handshakes, and hugs.  
  
“You know, Perrie,” Zayn said.  “We may never find out who killed Grimmy, but he would’ve accepted that you were gay.  He probably would’ve been thrilled.”  
  
“He knew,” Perrie said dropping her head.  “It was a political thing, we thought people would respond more to what I was trying to do if I had a husband.”  
  
“So, you and Jade, huh?”  Harry asked trying to lighten the mood.  
  
Perrie chuckled a little trying to hide the blush that crept up her neck and cheeks.  
  
“You’re totally gonna see her again aren’t you?”  Zayn cried.  
  
“I mean, she almost arrested me,” Perrie said.  “The least she could do is buy me dinner afterwards.”  
  
~*~  
  
Zayn found Liam curled up on a couch in Zayn’s office, crying.  The sound of Liam’s sobs caused Zayn’s heart to tighten and in a flash he had had his arms wrapped around Liam.  
  
“What’s wrong, Liam?” Zayn asked once the shorter man had stopped crying.  
  
“Everything,” he replied shakily.  “I don’t know how you do it.  I just saw you destroy a woman’s entire life for something we may or may not know to be true.  How do you sleep at night, Zayn?”  
  
“Ok, first of all, that woman said she had an affair with my father,”  Zayn spoke firmly.  “If my father tells me that woman is lying then I believe him.  Secondly,  I have had to make some terribly hard decisions in my life that have basically left me cold and dead inside.  I’m not proud of them, but they made me who I am.”  
  
“Like breaking up with me?”  Liam whispered.  
  
“What?”  Zayn heard the question, but was thrown by it none the less.  
  
“One of those terribly hard decisions.  Was one of them breaking up with me the way you did?”  
  
“Yes.”  Zayn hoped that Liam was not looking for anything more than that.  
  
“Then why did you Zayn?  At least tell me the reason.  I deserve that.”  
  
Zayn hesitated for a few minutes.  Opening and closing his mouth looking for the right way to break this news to Liam.  
  
“This is not a pretty story and you’re definitely not going to like a lot of what I’m about to say, but I need to you listen before you cut in and try to speak, ok?”  Zayn said when he finally found the courage to continue the conversation.  
  
Liam nodded his head to confirm that he got what Zayn was telling him.  
  
“A reporter approached my father back at the start of his first campaign for office,” Zayn shuddered as the memory washed over him.  “Apparently somehow, someone hacked your father’s e-mail account and…”  
  
Liam leaned forward to urge Zayn to continue the story.  Zayn worried his lip between his teeth for a while before giving up the most damning piece of information he had ever discovered.  
  
“Liam, they found kiddie porn in your dad’s e-mail.”  
  
“What?” Liam roared.  “That’s ridiculous!  You broke up with me because of something someone supposedly found on my father’s computer?  Are you really that fucking selfish Zayn?”  
  
“What happened to you were gonna shut up and listen to me?”  Zayn said cocking an eyebrow.  “That’s not why I broke up with you.”  
  
“Ok, then what was it?”  Liam was breathing heavily, but in Zayn’s eyes at least he was listening.  
  
“The only reason this reporter hacked your father’s computer was to get dirt on my dad, on us, anything to smear his good name.” Zayn continued, “I _had_ to protect you from that.  I figured the best way to get this guy or woman to back off was to take you out of the equation.  I mean obviously I was right, because the story never went to print.  Liam, I never didn’t lo—“  
  
Zayn’s phone vibrates to life on the coffee table.  Glancing down he saw that it was Harry calling.  
  
“It’s Harry, give me half a second and we’ll hash this out right here right now.”  Zayn said to Liam as he picked up the phone.  “What’s up Harry?  What?  What did the note say?”  Zayn’s face became panic stricken.  “What did you just say?  It said he called her what?  I’ve gotta go, Harry.”  
  
Zayn threw his phone across the room shattering it against the exposed brick wall.  Zayn stood up and grabbed his coat making his way towards the elevator.  
  
“Zayn?”  Liam said as he, too, stood.  “Zayn what’s happening?”  
  
“Marcella Guevara killed herself.”  
  
Liam started to walk towards Zayn.  “You know this wasn’t your fault.  You can’t bla—“  
  
“Not now, Liam,” Zayn said firmly.  There was no irritation in his voice, just firmness.  “Stay here, I’ll be back in thirty minutes.  An hour tops.  Please don’t leave this office.  I swear to you that we will finish this conversation when I get back.”  
  
As he had done many times that day, Zayn left before Liam could respond.  Liam flopped himself back down on the couch.  
  
“I love you too, Zayn.”  
  
  
Zayn was furious when he reached the private entrance to 10 Downing Street.  So furious that he didn’t notice the guard that tried to stop him.  
  
“Mr. Malik, you can’t come in without a pass,” the guard shouted.  
  
“The Prime Minister is my father and lying sack of shit,” Zayn wheeled around screaming.  “Is that enough of a _pass_ for you?”  
  
The guard stood there dumfounded, but said nothing as Zayn went inside.  
  
The guard at the gate must have radioed ahead to warn secret service that Zayn was on the warpath because not once was he stopped.  At least, not until he approached the Oval Office.  
  
“You can’t go in there,” Simon called after him as he burst through the doors.  
  
Yaser and Trisha were shocked when Zayn burst through the doors.  They were entertaining some foreign dignitaries and hadn’t been expecting him.  
  
“Zayn, honey, it’s so wonderful to see you again.”  Trisha stood to greet him.  “Please let me introduce the Prime Minister and his wife –“  
  
“Mum,” Zayn seethed.  “Get the fuck out of here, right now!  My father and I need to have a conversation and I don’t think you’re gonna want to hear what I have to say.”  
  
“Zayn!  That is no way to talk to your mother.  Not to mention you’re being very rude to our guests!”  Yaser was astonished at his son’s lack of composure.  
  
“Do you want me to talk about Marcella Guevara in front of them?”  Zayn shrieked.  He turned to one of the secret service agents.  “Clear this god damn room!”  
  
While Trisha escorted the Prime Minister and his wife out of the room, Simon made to leave behind them.  
  
“Simon Cowell,” Zayn called, his voice thick with rage.  “Don’t you dare leave this room.”  
  
Once it was just the three of them in the room, Yaser was the one to break the silence.  
  
“Why don’t you sit down and tell me what this is all about, sunshine,” Yaser said placing his hand on Zayn’s shoulder.  
  
Zayn jerked away from his father and crossed to the far side of the room.  “Don’t you dare call me that!  Don’t you fucking dare!  You lied to me!”  Tears were pouring out of Zayn’s eyes.  “You clouded my judgment and now a woman is dead, all because of a stupid nickname!”  
  
Yaser’s face paled.  “Zayn, I never –“  
  
“Yaser, don’t!” Simon cut him off.  “Politics is an ugly business, Zayn, you of all people should know that.”  
  
“What else have you lied to me about?”  Zayn spoke around the sob that had escaped his throat.  
  
“You have to understand that –“  
  
“WHAT ELSE?”  
  
“Zayn,” Simon said in a calm voice.  “Maybe we should talk about this in the morning when you’ve had a chance to calm down and we can talk like three rational adults.”  
  
Zayn took a deep breath to compose himself.  “Simon, maybe you should shut the fuck up and let me talk to my father.”  He turned his attention back to Yaser.  “You better come clean right now, Mister Prime Minister, because so help me god if you lie to me _ever_ again I will go straight to the press with Marcella’s story and represent her family when they sue your sorry ass for wrongful death.”  
  
“You might as well tell him, Yaser,” Simon said with a sigh.  “He’s bound to find out sooner or later.”  
  
Yaser moved behind his desk and practically collapsed into the worn leather chair.  “Do you remember when we were first campaigning for all this?”  
  
“Of course, I do,” Zayn said.  “There was barely enough funding to get your campaign off the ground and then suddenly an anonymous donor bankrolled the entire campaign.  What does this have to do with anything?”  
  
Yaser shook his head in defeat before continuing.  “The donor wasn’t exactly anonymous.  When he found out we were hurting for campaign contributions, Mr. Payne stepped forward and –“  
  
“Liam’s father?”  The realization hit Zayn like a ton of bricks.  The nausea followed shortly thereafter.  “There was never a child pornography scandal,” his voice wavered. “He wouldn’t donate the money unless Liam and I broke up.”  
  
“Zayn, I’m so sorry.”  
  
“Sorry doesn’t _fucking_ cut it, right now!”  Zayn’s screamed.  Grasping around, he grabbed a crystal vase full of roses and threw it at his father’s head.  The vase shattered against a painting.  “You chose money over your own god damn son!”  
  
“Like I told you, Zayn, politics is a messy business,” Simon said stepping in front of Zayn to keep him from throwing anything else.  “The needs of the many outweigh the needs –“  
  
He didn’t get to finish before Zayn’s fist collided with the man’s jaw.  
  
“Zayn Javaad Malik!”  Yaser cried standing up from his seat.  
  
Zayn marched forward, placed his hands on the desk to steady himself, and leaned in close to his father’s face.  “I thought for a long time that you could never do anything that would make me says this,” Zayn spat.  “But today I was proven wrong.  You are _dead_ to me!”  
  
Zayn stormed out of 10 Downing Street  just as quickly as he came in.  
  
“Kid’s got a hell of a right hook, I’ll give him that,” Simon said rubbing his jaw as he stood up.  
  
“On a scale of ten, how screwed are we Simon?”  
  
~*~  
  
After the confrontation with his father.  Zayn spent the rest of the night driving aimlessly around Washington.  The sun had just started to peak over the horizon when he returned to his office.  
  
Upstairs, he found Liam curled up on the couch asleep.  The sight of the man he loved so dearly, and so painfully wrenched away, melted his heart.  
  
Zayn crossed the room in as few quiet steps as possible.  Kneeling down in front of him, Zayn brushed a few stray curls off Liam’s forehead.  
  
“Mmm… Zayn?”  The curly-haired man said as he stirred awake.  
  
“Hi there handsome,” Zayn smiled at him.  
  
Liam sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.  “What happened last night?”  
  
“I learned the truth,” Zayn said sadly.  “But that’s not important right now.  What’s important right now, is that I have a few things to say.”  
  
“Ok,” Liam said cautiously.  
  
“One, I love you Liam Payne.  I have always and will always love you.  Breaking up with you was the biggest mistake of my life and I hope you can forgive me.”  
  
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that,” Liam said tearing up a little.  “Of course I forgive you, Zayn.”  
  
“Good.  Two, I want us to be _us_ again.  I want everything with you.”  
  
Liam was full-on crying now.  “Likewise.”  
  
A stray tear slid down Zayn’s cheek as he continued speaking.  “Finally, and this is the most important one, I’m going to kiss you now.”  
  
Zayn stilled for a minute much to Liam’s confusion.  
  
“Are you gonna kiss me or what?” Liam said with a wet laugh.  
  
Zayn crashed their mouths together.  The two men fell backwards on the couch, still kissing, hands exploring each other’s bodies.  
  
Neither was sure how long they had spent attached at the mouth, until their love-induced haze was broken by Niall’s voice.  
  
“Incoming!” She called up the stairs.  
  
Zayn and Liam broke apart with a laugh.  Liam stood up first and offered his hand to Zayn.  
  
“So, Mr. Malik,” Liam said flashing a toothy smile.  “What do you think the day has in store for us?”  
  
Zayn accepted Liam’s hand, stood up and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s waist as the made their way towards the stars.  
  
“Actually, I was thinking Mr. Payne would be more appropriate.  Seeing as we are engaged and all.” Zayn held his ring adorned hand out in front of him.  
  
“I love you so much,” Liam said planting a kiss on Zayn’s temple.  “You have no idea.”  
  
“You’ll just have to show me later then, won’t you?”  
  
The two men laughed as they descended the stair to face whatever the world had to throw at them.  But at least they would have each other and not even dirty politics would break that up.


End file.
